Protective headwear typically consists of a hard casing surrounding a wearer's head. Protective headwear varies widely, and many features, such as features for padding, sizing, comfort and aesthetics may be present and customized for specific uses.
One important application of protective headwear is headwear for use during baseball games. Batters typically wear helmets, which are generally quite large, heavy, bulky and very apparent. Batting helmets typically have a large casing that completely covers the head and ears, and is made of a hard plastic material and interior padding for comfort. Batting helmets do not have a lot of ventilation and may therefore lead to discomfort caused by a buildup of heat. Therefore, it is not desirable to wear a batting helmet for long periods of time, or to where such a helmet while performing in other parts of a baseball game.
Position players, pitchers and coaches on the field typically wear baseball hats with no protective padding or other features, and therefore are not protected against being hit in the head with a baseball or bat. Pitchers are one of the closest fielders to the batter and are often in the path of fast line drive balls hit directly toward the pitcher, often while they are off-balance. First and third base coaches are also often in the direct line of a hard-hit foul ball. Position players also have the need for head protection during various aspects of a game.
Baseball head injuries are fairly uncommon, but tend to have a specific and limited nature, and can be very traumatic. For example, when a pitched ball is hit and the line-drive goes directly back to the pitcher, the ball can travel at speeds of up to 130 miles per hour, giving the pitcher a very short amount of time to react. The speed with which the baseball is traveling also means that the impact of the ball on the pitcher's head has the potential to cause grave injury. Many injuries, serious or otherwise, including injuries to the skull and face, have been caused by baseball strikes to the head.
Head protection is available for all baseball players and coaches but is rarely used due to reasons including lack of comfort, a perceived lack of need, customs and tradition, or a lack of desire to be burdened by a large, heavy helmet. Position players, pitchers and coaches are on the field for longer amount of time than batters, which may also contribute to the players and coaches foregoing use of protective headwear. Serious injuries to pitchers, players and coaches have resulted in public outcry but are generally too uncommon for preventative measures to be adopted by every pitcher, player and coach.
Therefore, it would be beneficial to provide protective headwear that overcomes past problems, and provides protection, comfort, ease of use, unobtrusiveness, and conforms to traditions and habits, such that all players and coaches will be encouraged to use the protective headwear.